Manchester City and England midfielder Fabian Delph closing in on return

24 March 2016 01:23

Fabian Delph is hoping to return to action for Manchester City after the current international break.

The England midfielder has missed City's last nine matches with an Achilles injury but is now nearing the end of his recovery.

The 26-year-old told City TV: "It was a bit of a tricky injury, this one. It was an Achilles problem but I'm nearly there now and should start training with the team in the next few days.

"I'm really excited to be getting back out on the pitch again and I'm hoping to be available for the next game."

City return to action with a Barclays Premier League trip to Bournemouth on April 2 before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final four days later.

News of Delph's recovery, soon after a similarly positive update from knee injury victim Kevin De Bruyne, will lift City after a difficult past week.

Last Sunday's derby defeat to Manchester United has dragged City into a battle for fourth place in the Premier League while Vincent Kompany, Joe Hart and Raheem Sterling have all joined the injury list.

Delph has endured a difficult first season at the Etihad Stadium since moving from Aston Villa last summer, with spells out for hamstring injuries earlier in the campaign.

He said: "Apart from my injuries, it's been a fantastic first year at City. The boys have welcomed me, the fans have been great with me and hopefully I can get fully fit, put all the injuries behind me and get going again."